Child and Adolescent Development: A Behavioral Systems Approach

"The book very nicely incorporates behavior analysis and modern developmental theories. . . . Another nice feature is that it is not encyclopedic; it organizes the disparate developmental phenomena in terms of principles and mechanisms. . . . The writing style is easy to follow and suitable for college students. The scholarship and coverage are excellent." -- Jesus Rosales-Ruiz

"The book is a very good read. It is also truly unique in the field of developmental psychology…a field in which far too little attention is typically paid to the obvious fact that children’s development involves learning." -- Michael W. Vasey

"Presents behavioral principles in a systematic and fairly sophisticated manner (as contrasted with the simplistic treatment those principles often receive in textbooks of introductory or developmental psychology), while linking up with contemporary conceptions of dynamic systems. . .straightforward and clear, accessible to undergraduates without coming across as simplistic." -- Temple University

"Most useful for the subset of college instructors who are process oriented and focus upon a sophisticated multilevel conceptual approach that considers the environmental impact on behavioral development and the concurrent impact of the developing individual upon the significant figures in its environment. . . . No other undergraduate text presents such a clear interweaving of developmental considerations and concepts with learning concepts." -- Jacob L. Gewirtz

“This book is unique because of its blending of behavior analysis and its dynamical systems point of view. . . . The authors’ writing style is very engaging and accessible to undergraduate level students [and] the level of scholarship is excellent, particularly in its depth when dealing with theoretical issues. . . . A cutting-edge look at a behavior analytic view of child and adolescent development." -- Pete Peterson

Gary Novak received his Ph.D. in developmental psychology from SUNY-Stony Brook. He is a Professor in the Department of Psychology and Child Development at California State University, Stanislaus, where he has taught since 1973, serving twice as department chair. He founded the campus Child Development Center and was recognized with the University’s Outstanding Professor Award. He has written many publications and has made numerous professional presentations on children′s language, cognitive, and behavioral development and on behavioral systems approaches to development. His research interests include language, cognitive, and literacy development. He is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.

Martha Pelaez received her Ph.D. in developmental psychology from Florida International University in 1992, winning the International Dissertation Award from the International Society for Infant Studies for her research on infant social referencing. She subsequently completed a Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the University of Miami Medical School before taking a position in the Department of Educational and Psychological Studies at Florida International University, where she is an Associate Professor. Her post-doctoral work studied the behavior of depressed mothers and the effects on infants′ social and cognitive development. Dr. Peláez has conducted numerous investigations on infant learning phenomena, including attachment, social referencing, fear of strangers, fear of dark, moral development, rule-governed behavior, and stimulus equivalence. She is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and a past Program Chair of APA Division 25. She has also served as a program co-chair for the Association for Behavior Analysis. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.